Tales of Parenting: Three Different Routes
by Ray Jackson
Summary: Took from the first chapter: "Soul…" "What's up, baby?" "Ehm…" […] "I'm pregnant." Soul/Maka. This story has the following structure: a prologue, three chapters separated between them and a final chapter who contains all the "afterstory" of the alternatives. May contain some sensitive content in the second chapter.
1. Surprise!

Soul was tranquil. Lying down on the couch, like nothing could bother his serenity, he was thinking about how awesome his life was in that moment: He was a Death Scythe, he had good friends, he hadn't any mission almost since two weeks and, most important thing of all, he was happily in a relationship with the girl who always loved: Maka Albarn.

Many girls who proposed to Soul to become their weapon didn't understand what he ever saw in Maka, but he always answered with this sentence:

"One day you too will understand and you'll stop making me those questions."

Of course the girls still weren't understanding but they didn't deepen the question.

Soul thought nothing could shock him in that quiet day.

Maka stood in front of his feet with a shaky expression.

"Soul…"

"What's up, baby?"

"Ehm…"

Soul stood up immediately with a jump quickly reaching his girlfriend and touching her forehead.

"You aren't burning."

"Soul, I'm not sick."

"Some girl let you down?" said the albino really worried.

"No, Soul."

"What's up, then? Don't make me worry."

"I'm pregnant."

Soul stayed quietly to stare into Maka's eyes for what it seemed like an eternity and then he collapsed on the floor.

When he woke up, he saw Maka looking at him with shiny watery eyes.

"You're pregnant?" asked Soul.

"Yes, I've done the test multiple times. I'm one week pregnant."

Soul was speechless: Maka was pregnant. And he could stick his neck out that it was his son: One week ago he and her united for their absolute first time in a resonance of souls more harmonious and pleasant than any other resonance done while fighting or training.

Some rivulets of tears streamed down on the face of the meister.

"What's wrong, Maka? Why are you crying?" asked worried the albino.

"I bet that you aren't happy about it and you will leave me…your silence is more than…" started Maka, but she was stopped by Soul's lips.

He wiped away the tears and staring at the blonde's eyes said:

"Don't say shit, Maka. I would never leave you."

Then, while his eyes became shiny and watery, he reprise:

"You don't know about how much time I wished to be a father. My dream is finally realizing…we'll have a family and I will have along with the person I love the most in the entire world…I'm not happy about this, I'm beyond seventh heaven!" and then he hugged his girlfriend while crying for joy.

"I love you, Maka."

"I love you too, Soul" she said while hugging back.

* * *

 **Hello!**

 **This is a pretty peculiar type of fanfic.**

 **In fact, as you have read, this fic will have as a leading thread the chapter that you've just saw.**

 **The three next chapters will be three "universe line separated" and they will be untied between them.**

 **I hope that you'll like the story!**

 **See you to the next chapter that I will translate in a week barring business.**

 **But before that, don't forget to review this!**

 **Bye!**

 **Ray**


	2. BLANK

Maka was sitting on her bed, eyes sore, shiny, watery – reddened by the tears her cheeks were still stained with. She held her hips tight, like she was trying to hug something. She was still upset, and began crying and sobbing all over again, desperately.

The door opened revealing a boy with milky hair and crimson eyes. Like her, he had a pained look on his face, even though he was trying his best not to cry as well. He wanted to be a reassuring figure to her. He knelt and watched Maka in the eyes without saying a word. Then he caressed her face gently, and as a moment passed she talked, her voice broken by weeping:

"Soul… I'm sorry…"

"For what, Maka?" asked Soul, confused by those words.

"Now… now it's all…"

"Shh, Maka. Don't say this. The world is not over." The albino interrupted Maka by gently putting a finger on her lips, then hugged her and, in the end, put a blanket over her shoulders in order to wrap her.

She felt less sad after Soul's care, but she was still upset about what had happened.

"I… I don't know how it could happen…" Maka said.

"I don't know that either, but I know one thing… we can try again."

"If we won't succeed anymore you'll leave me, won't you?" Maka was on the verge of another breakdown.

"No, Maka, no. I would never do that. I'll stay with you even if we won't make it." the Death Scythe promised, hugging her tight.

Maka hugged him back and said, now calmer:

"Thank you, Soul. You cheered me up."

 _The week before…_

Maka and Soul were in charge of a mission in order to reap the evil soul of a brutal serial killer: Dex R. Gein, an evil human living and hitting in Milwaukee.

Soul wasn't really that convinced, because of Maka's conditions, but she wanted to go anyway after she had read the killer's dossier and stated that she wanted to kill him personally. At the end the latter got half of what she wanted: She would be escorted by Spirit during the mission.

It was harder than they'd expected: In Cathedral Square, Maka and Soul were forced to fight harshly against the void of morality by themselves, since Spirit got knocked out after an incredibly brutal fight just to hit the creature. The latter was at the corner but thought he could escape by hitting Maka with his dagger. She clenched her teeth and, even though she'd been stabbed, she managed to slay the killer.

Soul transformed right after that and, leaving the soul there, took both Spirit and Maka to the nearest hospital, the three of them all on his motorcycle. Once there both, Soul and Maka received some news that shocked them both, especially Maka:

The monster's stab had provoked a miscarriage in Maka. Spirit recovered rather quickly and when he heard about the tragic news, tried to comfort her daughter, but it was all useless: Maka, in that moment, was inconsolable.

 **Chapter 2: LOSS**

* * *

 **Hello!**

 **This chapter, as you saw, had a really delicate theme.**

 **I wanted to talk about it with the most consideration as possible.**

 **If this choice didn't please you, tell me what I've been doing wrong and I'll try to amend.**

 **The name I gave to the chapter (The one you're reading in the chapter menu) it's made on purpose because I wanted to keep secret the reason behind Maka's sadness until the end of the fic.**

 **Here's a little anticipated FAQ:**

 **1) Maka wants to go anyway even if she's pregnant? Why?**

 **Well, I did it mainly because Maka is a determined character. But my friend (who I consider a great expert of the Soul Eater universe) told me that, if she was going to fight in that condition, only because she was determined it was a stupid choice. So I decided to justify it with the killer's behavior.**

 **2) What the killer has done so badly?**

 **I'll give you a single clue: Leatherface.**

 **3) Dex R. Gein? Who's he?**

 **Here I got inspired by Ohkubo's mind for the name of the killer: I've inserted two realistic references in the name. In this case they're both serial killer's names: One fictitious killer and one really who did live, but who inspired some fictitious killers.**  
 **If you want to understand who's the real killer… I suggest you to watch some documentaries about the topic (I could suggest you a youtube channel, but it seems that YouTube America doesn't deal with scary stuff/real horror stories and such, which is quite hilarious since they're the main sharers of creepypasta).**

 **4) How could Shinigami send Soul and Maka in such a dangerous mission?**

 **Shinigami underestimated the enemy and it wasn't aware of the fact that Maka was pregnant (since she still was in her first weeks) and Soul, who under Maka's advice did not talk about the fact, had to pull out a credible excuse.**

 **5) Spirit was beaten? But wasn't he a Death Scythe?**

 **As I said, the enemy was considerably underestimated. And all of the Soul Eater fans know that the weapons are better when paired with a meister. Spirit was alone.**

 **I hope that you liked this chapter or that, at least, it made you cry.**

 **See you to the next chapter; I'll publish it in a week time if there aren't any personal business.**

 **But before that, don't forget to review!**

 **Bye!**

 **Ray**


	3. Gift

Soul was really anxious. His girlfriend and meister was giving birth in that exact moment right next to him and he was holding her hand to give her courage – even to himself.

The doctors said there were some issues in the labor and Maka was having more difficulties than expected. Soul did not want to listen to them since he was resolutely convinced that his fiancee would make it through the labour.

"Don't worry, honey. You will make it, you'll give life to our child" said Soul to Maka, but also a little to himself.

"Thank you, Soul" she answered.

The blonde was exhausted and so fatigued that, for a moment, she seemed to see the old Lord Shinigami, Kid's father, appear in front of her and lay a hand on her head.

After what it seemed like an eternity, Maka managed to give birth to the child. Both her and Soul were crying for happiness.

"Congratulations. It's a boy" said one of the doctors.

The blonde took the baby in her arms and caressed his head.

"How should we call him?" the albino asked.

"Damon. It's a name I always liked."

Then Soul took in his arms his child and smiled softly.

"Hi Damon. Welcome in our family."

Maka, then, told to two of them, with a very feeble voice, those words:

"Damon, make sure you grow healthy, strong and smart. Soul, take care of our son even for me. Be for him the father who wasn't there with me and the role model he never was for me. It would be hard for you, but you must be strong and carry on. Do it for me, please. Always remember that I always loved you, and ever will."

"I swear I will do it. I loved you too and I will always love you, Maka" Soul said, confused by the meaning of her words.

Maka, hearing this, smiled and closed her eyes.

The doctors and the nurses rushed immediately, but for the young girl was too late: Her heart had stopped beating. She died in childbirth after giving birth to her only child.

Soul was annihilated by the pain and didn't have even the strength to cry. Her beloved one was gone forever, had left him alone to raise their child. But he decided to keep the promise made on her deathbed.

Meanwhile Maka was out of the room where Soul was holding their son in his arm. She was sorry for him, but unfortunately she couldn't do anything but finally accept her fate.

But she didn't die without fighting: She fought with all of her strength against the pain that she was going through the labor, she fought with all of her will to get to the hospital when her water broke a few weeks earlier than expected, she fought with all of her possibilities to stay alive when the issues came. The scythe master was determined to make the living proof of the love of her and Soul be alive. She wanted a child and she got it, even if that meant her death.

Maka walked in the hospital's hollow corridor. Here she found the Old Lord Shinigami and said to him:

"Thank you. You managed to give to my beloved one the child that he wanted and to give to the latter the name I wanted. Thank you for this supplementary half hour."

Then, along with Shinigami, walked towards the light at the end of the corridor.

"You know… many people think that Death is bad and strict. If only they knew the truth…"

* * *

 **Hello!**

 **As you understand, this is another melancholic alternative, but lighter than the first one.**

 **This fic is getting really plenty of sad moments, but I assure you that in the end they will be worthy.**

 **A little anticipated FAQ to clarify some points:**

 **1) Didn't Maka had a miscarriage?**

 **No, that was the first of the alternatives. These are untied between them but tied to the premise. They're like parallel lines of universe.**

 **2) What is Kid's father doing there? And why nobody seems to see him?**

 **The Old Lord Shinigami is keep doing his job as a God of Death, but not for the souls who lose the righteous path and end up in his log. No one sees him because...unfortunately I can't reveal it to you because it would be a gigantic spoiler. Who read the manga will understand. If you haven't read it, buy it.**

 **3) Why Maka gives the name "Damon" to his son?**

 **For a result that you'll see in the last chapter of the fic (The After-Story one). I don't say anything to you, but if you have a quick think you can get it.**

 **4) Maka that sees the Old Lord Shinigami is an illusion?**

 **No, it's not. Maka at first think it is, but after her death understands that he was really there.**

 **5) I didn't get very well the last part of the story.**

 **Maka is now a soul and, accompanied by the Old Lord Shinigami, she prepares to go in afterlife peacefully, knowing that Soul will be a good father for Damon.**

 **This story is heavily inspired by a story with no dialogue that I've found on Facebook with identical plot that I've decided to slightly edit. Unfortunately I don't remember the title and I didn't managed to find it.**

 **EDIT: I've finally found the story! It's called "Thirty and a half minutes" and it was made by Snippy_MJ. Read it because it's fantastic.**

 **I've decided to use it as a base for this fanfic because I find it really beautiful and deep.**

 **UPDATE 30/08/2016: Since this story was accused to be "sexist" I want to make ONE THING PERFECTLY CLEAR: Maka is not the "Woman in the fridge", she's not "A vessel for Soul's child" or some other BS that people accused me about. Both Maka and Soul wanted this child and death can happen during the labor. It's not using a trope, it's real life. Before spiting me, use accusations that make sense.**

 **UPDATE 31/08/2016: I've pinpointed the main problem in the writing and I decided to add a little backstory. But since it still sound sexist, when I have time and inspiration I will do a REMAKE of this fic.**

 **I hope that you liked this chapter or that, at least, it made you cry.**

 **See you to the next chapter; I'll publish it in a week time if there aren't any personal business.**

 **But before that, don't forget to review!**

 **Bye!**

 **Ray**


	4. Promise

Soul was really anxious. His girlfriend and meister was giving birth in that exact moment right next to him and he was holding her hand to give her courage – even to himself.

"Don't worry, honey. You will make it, you'll give life to our child" said Soul to Maka, but also a little to himself.

"Thank you, Soul" she answered.

The girl was using every inch of her strength to give birth her son. She wanted to keep the promise made to his boyfriend.

* * *

After what it seemed like an eternity, Maka managed to give birth to the child. Both Maka and Soul were crying for happiness.

"Congratulations. It's a boy" said one of the doctors.

The blonde took the baby in her arms and caressed his head.

"How should we call him?" the albino asked.

"Nakata. It's a name I always liked."

Then Soul smiled softly to his child.

The neo-mom then, with a very feeble voice, told those words:

"Hi Nakata. Welcome in our family. He's your daddy" said pointing at the albino. Then she said at the latter:

"Soul…I kept my promise. Now you're a father" to then kiss him and shortly after lay down on the bed.

Soul feared the worst and called the doctors. They said that they weren't issues during the labor and that Maka was simply exhausted because of the fatigue. Soul took a breath of relief and sat down right next to Maka with his son in his arms.

In that moment Soul understood that his life was complete and a phrase took from a Clean Bandit song came in his mind:

 _"When I'm with you, there's no place I rather be."_

* * *

 **Hello!**

 **This chapter is pure fluff, as you saw.**

 **And after 2 alternative where there was only sadness, we return to smile.**

 **As always, here's a little anticipated FAQ for clarifying certain points:**

 **1) Didn't Maka died while giving birth?**

 **No. That was the second of the alternatives. These are untied between them but tied to the premise. They're like parallel lines of universe.**

 **2) Why the child is named Nakata?**

 **Well, you know that I love putting subtle references in my fanfic. This is one of them.**

 **If you want answers, read other fics on my Tumblr and leave a review.**

 _(T/N: The fic where I explain the meaning of the name Nakata isn't translated…yet)_

 **3) Why a randomly placed song by Clean Bandit?**

 **This is the point: I wrote this chapter while watching the E3 and since the ideas of the development of this idea weren't clear, I placed "Rather Be" at the end to give a conclusion.**

 **4) Aren't some phrases took from the previous alternative?**

 **I'm really sorry to say it, but yes. Like you were able to affirm in the point 3 of this FAQ I was writing this chapter during the E3 (Almost during or almost before of the Sony conference, if I'm not wrong) and, since the ideas of development of this chapter weren't clear, I copied some of the phrases to gain time. I think this will be the first and last time I do this.**

 **5) What promise has Maka made?**

 **Maka promised to Soul that him would become a father despite everything. I didn't explain it in the fic because I thought it was pretty obvious.**

 **I hope that you liked this chapter.**

 **See you to the next chapter; I'll publish it next week (Not anymore "in a week time") if there aren't any personal business.**

 **But before that, don't forget to review!**

 **Bye!**

 **Ray**


	5. Author's Message

Hello. This is my way to say that I'm sorry for making you wait 2 weeks for the final chapter of Tales of Parenting.

But...I didn't felt to keep going after I received some messages about me being racist just because people saw Maka as "a tool for Soul's development" in the third chapter of the fic and nothing else. I decided to put the fic On-Hold for a while. The next chapter will be published in a month time if there aren't any personal business.

Thank you for your patience.

Stay awesome

Ray


	6. Author's Message again

Hello. This is my way to say that I'm sorry for making you wait almost to the end of the month for the final chapter of Tales of Parenting.

But...I've been really busy for various reasons. Writing fic or translating them becomes harder and harder for me and I don't have anybody who can help me in this. For the chapter you'll have to wait for a long time. I cannot make any dates, unfortunately. Sorry again.

Thank you for your patience.

Stay awesome

Ray


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